Tree, Shrub, Flower

Damon Arrington
  • 5.0 (9)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

Damon Arrington, a practicing Landscape Designer who teaches at New York Botanical Gardens and Cornell University launched this podcast to reconnect with the artists he grew up with. As a former NYC theatre director, he calls up his celebrity friends to see what they have been doing since they last saw each other. He asks the guests to mine their memories for their favorite Tree, Shrub and Flower. Each month we explore a different set of plants, talking about their Latin name, their place of origin and how they appear in pop culture and current trends.

  1. Ep. 9: 2025 Mash Up Show

    12/28/2025

    Ep. 9: 2025 Mash Up Show

    This year was filled with exciting artistic collaborations, my work on a new musical is chronicled inside this season. I've pulled forward my favorite moments with my guests. Composer Rob Morrison debuts 'Heirloom', his title track from the show. The heirloom conversation erupts into beautiful song, stay tuned at the end of this episode for the debut song. It has been a pleasure working through a creative process with all of my listeners this year, may 2026 bring you new, exciting plant adventures! https://www.therobmorrison.com

    13 min
  2. Ep. 8: Author and Environmental Journalist Laura Poppick

    09/16/2025

    Ep. 8: Author and Environmental Journalist Laura Poppick

    This month we welcome Author and Environmental Journalist, Laura Poppick to the Heirloom conversation. She released a new book in July titled, 'Strata: Stories from Deep Time' and is here to talk to us about the heirlooms that exist in our landscapes, mountains, glacial debris, canyons and mines. We talk about 4.54 billon years of natural history on the earths surface, our most recent Ice Age and the current state of the climate. She takes us from the iron fields of Minnesota to South Australia to the shores of Newfoundland, her knowledge guides us through deep time looking at how sediments in the strata of rock formations can tell us stories. We talk about the Great Oxidation Event and Snowball Earth! See how she fairs on our favorite game, Drag Queen or Plant Name! Ready for a trip down deep time? https://laurapoppick.com

    43 min
  3. Ep. 7: The Heirloom Musical Creative Conversation with Maya Sharpe

    07/03/2025

    Ep. 7: The Heirloom Musical Creative Conversation with Maya Sharpe

    Welcome Tree Shrub Flower nerds! Today we take a ride with team music on my musical titled Heirloom. Maya Sharpe is on the team of composer lyricists for our new show. Maya and I have been collaborating for about two years now, still getting to know each other and this was the perfect chance to get to know her even better. We talk about growing up in Massachusetts, and then her studies which took her from the East Coast to West Coast. She landed on Broadway in a production of HAIR, she shares some of her favorite moments from her journey as an actor, musician in the American Theatre. We then talk about our musical. She talks about her connection to the American South and how she hears the music of this little garden shop in the Appalachia. Maya plays Plant Name or Drag Queen and kills. http://www.mayasharpe.com

    1 hr
  4. Ep. 6: Part Two: The Heirloom Musical Composer/Lyricist Rob Morrison!

    06/02/2025

    Ep. 6: Part Two: The Heirloom Musical Composer/Lyricist Rob Morrison!

    In this exciting Part Two drop Rob and I get into the meat of our heirloom haul. We talk about starting over, how we managed to keep working when our first attempt fell flat. We dive into our working process and how we weave book and songs together, how do the songs take shape. We talk about writing characters who deal with race and sexuality and how that informs how they move through this small town in the American South. Both of us white men writing for Black characters, we talk about the importance of understanding history and the nuances of that process. A new book has emerged for our musical, and Rob talks about his ideas for the soundscape and how we continue to lean into mountain music as a guide. We talk a bit about genre, style and tone and how the current country radio charts are effecting our choices. Rob then plays our iconic game, drag queen or plant name! Our Native Daughters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh_OctpvYAY&t=12s

    29 min
  5. Ep.5: Part One. The Heirloom Musical Composer/Lyricist Rob Morrison!

    05/08/2025

    Ep.5: Part One. The Heirloom Musical Composer/Lyricist Rob Morrison!

    The Heirloom haul continues! I'm continuing to introduce the creative team behind our musical. One half of the Composer/Lyricist team is here. Multi talented actor, singer, song writer and multi-instrumentalist Rob Morrison joins the pod to talk about seeds and songs! We dive into his time growing up in North Carolina and the impressions that linger. Rob dives into his new album 'Moonroph' in this first part, he has a long list of instruments that he plays in his arsenal. We also talk about music theater and his work on the most recent production of Sondheim's 'Assassins'. In Part Two we dig deeper into our current creative collaboration.

    35 min
  6. Ep. 4: Part Two.EARTH WEEK EPISODE! Introducing a New Musical titled Heirloom, with Theatre Director Raelle Myrick Hodges.

    04/19/2025

    Ep. 4: Part Two.EARTH WEEK EPISODE! Introducing a New Musical titled Heirloom, with Theatre Director Raelle Myrick Hodges.

    Earth week is here, and we happen to be on Governor's Island off Lower Manhattan. This island will soon be the home to a climate university. The New York Climate Exchange, a non-profit world-class climate center will be leading the charge in climate solutions. We are thrilled to be a part of the exchange of a nature narrative here on the island with our musical, Heirloom. We join you again from our residency with the Lower Manhattan Cultural Center on the Island. In this second part of two residency recipient and co-writer Raelle Myrick Hodges picks up the conversation about our new musical centered in the American South. Raelle and I dig into the plot of our musical and how we plan on advancing a narrative based on a species of oversized collard. We talk about our collaboration as co-writers and we also dream a bit about what we plan on revising and rewriting. Then, we play a round of the hysterical game Drag Queen of Plant Name, and FYI...Raelle slays!

    24 min
  7. Ep. 3: Part One. Introducing a New Musical titled Heirloom. With Theatre Director Raelle Myrick Hodges.

    03/26/2025

    Ep. 3: Part One. Introducing a New Musical titled Heirloom. With Theatre Director Raelle Myrick Hodges.

    I'm writing a musical. It is titled Heirloom. The collaborators working on this musical are joining the podcast one by one to discuss our journey with the material and the things we hope to capture onstage. Co-writer and Director Raelle Myrick Hodges is first up, and helps me introduce this new venture to all of you! (She was my very first guest, so it's good to have her back!) In this first part of the conversation we talk about how we are collaborating on this story and the characters we are creating. We join you from our new digs on Governor's Island where we have been granted a residency to work on this material. Shout out to Lower Manhattan Cultural Center for giving us the space to record this episode and to continue writing this musical! https://lmcc.net https://www.govisland.com Follow the podcast! Hit that follow button. That is how we spread the word....

    26 min
  8. Ep. 2: Part Two. What are Heirloom Seeds? With Susana Cabrera-Mariz from The Organic Seed Alliance.

    03/07/2025

    Ep. 2: Part Two. What are Heirloom Seeds? With Susana Cabrera-Mariz from The Organic Seed Alliance.

    Welcome to the Season Three, Episode Two of Tree, Shrub, Flower. This year we are tackling the conversation around Heirlooms, from seeds and songs to stories and traditions. In part two of this informative interview, we move from seed production to a more anthropological bent on heirloom seeds. In this second part of our season premiere episode we talk to Susana Cabrera-Mariz from The Organic Seed Alliance. Susana is supporting the research and education programs at the Seed Alliance in Washington state. Susana has worked within food systems for a decade in seed and food access nonprofits. Additionally, Susana has organically farmed for eight years and adores connecting with plants and land. Susana has a Master’s Degree in Anthropology focused on the matrix of seed, culture, and public education from Iowa State University. We talk about what an heirloom is and how it moves through the seed complex. We talk about how seeds are passed on, through families and communities. Then we play a great game of 'Drag Queen or Plant Name'! https://seedalliance.org/people/susana-cabrera-mariz/ Susana's Favorite Heirloom Seed Companies: https://www.southernexposure.com https://twoseedsinapod.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoptg0oqzZu9jfg8cPmJ5DXESNvPP2acDz79kGQgD34MLeAgWsC2 https://trueloveseeds.com https://sistahseeds.com https://www.secondgenerationseeds.com https://ujamaaseeds.com Follow the podcast! Tell me how we are doing!

    15 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Damon Arrington, a practicing Landscape Designer who teaches at New York Botanical Gardens and Cornell University launched this podcast to reconnect with the artists he grew up with. As a former NYC theatre director, he calls up his celebrity friends to see what they have been doing since they last saw each other. He asks the guests to mine their memories for their favorite Tree, Shrub and Flower. Each month we explore a different set of plants, talking about their Latin name, their place of origin and how they appear in pop culture and current trends.

Information

  • Creator
    Damon Arrington
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Tree, Shrub, Flower